Sudden cardiac arrest is commonly treated mechanically and/or by electrical defibrillation. Mechanical treatment may be given manually or by a chest compression apparatus. A number of chest compression apparatus are known in the art, such as the pneumatically driven LUCAS™ mechanical chest compression system (“Lucas™ system”; an apparatus for compression and physiological in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation, CPR, manufactured by Jolife AB, Lund, Sweden). Specifically the Lucas™ system comprises a support structure and a compression unit. The support structure includes a back plate for positioning the patient's back posterior to the patient's heart and a front part for positioning around the patient's chest anterior to the heart. The front part has two legs, each having a first end pivotally connected to at least one hinge of the front part and a second end removably attachable to the back plate. The front part is devised to centrally receive the compression unit which is arranged to repeatedly compress the patient's chest when the front part is attached to the back plate. The compression unit comprises a pneumatic unit arranged to drive and control compression, an adjustable suspension unit to which a compression pad is attached, and a means for controlling the position of the pad in respect of the patient's chest. Defibrillation may be provided independently of and concomitant.
In deciding when and for how long time to administer compressions to the patient it is important to measure the electrical activity of the heart. This is accomplished by using a movable ECG apparatus separate of the mechanical compression system.
ECG apparatus of this kind comprise a number of ECG electrodes connected to the apparatus by flexible conductors. Before the start of measurement the ECG electrodes have to be attached to the chest of the patient in a given pattern. In a situation of urgency such as one of cardiac arrest this is time consuming and should be avoided.
EP 459 239 A2 discloses a portable device for sensing cardiac function and automatically delivering electrical therapy comprising torsion spring operated electrode assemblies.
WO 2004/112683 A1 discloses an electrical means for providing electrostimulation comprising two electrodes, a front electrode to be applied on the chest of the patient adjacent to the pad, plate or disc, etc. of the reciprocating means or integrated in the pad, plate or disc, etc., and a rear electrode to be applied to the back of the patient integrated into the back plate so as to be disposed about perpendicularly under the sternum if the patient is resting in a correct position on the back plate. The electrodes of the means for providing electrostimulation may be additionally used for picking up ECG signals and forwarding them to an ECG registration and analysis unit. The ECG signals obtainable in this manner are however strongly affected by the movement of sternum during compression, which impairs their quality. The present invention seeks to remedy this problem.